Electrical towage traction-way.



PATENTED MAR. s1, 1903.

S. W. WOOD. vELEGIRIOAL TOWAG'B TRAOTION WAY.

APP'LIOATION FILED JULY 12,' 1902.

PIG. 5.

FIG. z

N0 MODEL.

1. G. I P

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN W. WOOD, OF NEV YORK, N. rY.

ELECTRICAL TOWAG E TRACTION-WAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 724,369, dated March31, 1903. Application filed July l2, 1902. Serial No. 115,284. (Nomodel.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Bc it known that I, STEPHEN W. WOOD, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Towage Traction-Ways, of which the following is a specification. 1

This invention relates to electrical tractionways and motors especiallyintended for towage on canals.

The object of the invention is to produce an electrical traction-wayhaving two tracks on which the tractors may travel at diierentelevations and' in either direction and shall be able to present eitherside toward the canal while running on either track, so that towageconnections to boats in the canal may be made in any position oftractors while on the ways.

A further object is to construct a strong self-bracing system ofsupports and incidentally` to improve the traction-way and the tractorthereon to adapt them to the purposes of this invention.

The invention consists in certain constructions and combinations,substantially as hereinafter set forth in the claims.

Figure l is a top plan of atraction-way according to my invention. Fig.2 is a crosssection of the way, showing tractors on both the tracksthereof. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of a canal, showing the generalrelation of traction-ways to the canal.

In towing boats along a canal it is necessary that the tractor, if itruns on the towpath, should be sometimes on one side and sometimes onthe other side of the canal. Most canals have lout one tow-path for anygiven s ection of the canal, which path is located according to thenecessities of the case, crossing from side to side of the canal ascircumstances require.

My traction-way is arranged along the towpath of the canal at suchdistance from the water as not to interfere with the towage ot' boats byanimals. The ways are supported on two series of posts, one series A Abeing higher than the other series B B and farther from thewater. On topof the series of posts A there is a continuous rail l. This rail may beof any of the usual forms of rails for traction-motors. verted-U railshown in section in Fig. 2.

The limit of height to which tractors may extend is generally determinedby tbeheight of the highway-bridges above the tow-path, (usually ninefeet.) As the tractor in thev present case extends above the rail 1, theposts A will rarely exceed six or seven feet in height.

The posts B will be so much shorter than posts A that the top of atractor on the lower post will be below the height at which the tow-lineis connected to said upper tractor. In the illustration Fig. 3 the topot' a tractor on post B is shown to be lower than the bottom of tractoron post A. 'The rail 2 (illustrated in Fig. 2) is also an inverted-Urail.

Guide-rails 3 4 on each set of posts, below the top, aiord bearings forguide and trolley wheels of the tractors.

The frames of the tractors 10 are made-to inclose the traction-Wheel 11,which wheel runs on top of the traction-rail. The traction-wheel'll isdriven by any suitable electrical engine 12.

The rails 3 and 4 are both shown as insulated rails. The electricalcurrent will be supplied to either of these guide-rails in any usual andsuitable manner at such voltage as may be desirable; but as a low speedonly can be employed for canal traction it is usually safe to useuncovered electrical conductors for rails on these traction-ways.

One of therails 3 or 4 is a return or ground rail, the other a feed orsupply rail.

Guide and trolley wheels 13 and 14 run on the rails 3 and 4.

Let us consider therail 4 to be the insulated conductor orelectrical-supply rail'for each way, as shown in Fig. 2. Then wheel 14,in addition to its function as a ,guidewheel, will also be atrolley-wheel'through which the electrical current will pass and beconducted to the engine 12. The frame of the tractor, which extends downat each side of the traction-way, has bearings for the vertical axles ofwheels 13 and 14 at opposite sides of the guide-tracks. That part 16 ofthe frame which supports the trolley-wheels is insulated, as at 17, fromthe remainder of the metallic frame. The trolley-wheel 14can beconnected by any convenient system of A convenient form is the in-` IOCan exceedingly strong structure, as the alternate braces extend nearlyin the direction of -the strain in towing, said strain on the way beingboth lateral and longitudinal.

As the taller posts are subjected to greater strain than the shorter,these posts may be Vmade more numerous, as illustrated in Fig. 1,

and if arranged directly behind posts B the two series of posts may beimmediately connected, as by a bracket or other'connection. (See dottedlines D, Figs. 1 and 2.)

The tractor-frame has means, as a loop 2G, at each side of the framewhereby a'tow-line can be connected to the tractor and lead thence to aboat or towof boats in the usual manner. The tractor is thereforereversible as to its position on the track,being movable with suitableelectrical connections with either end in advance. The tractors are alsoconstructed to run on either one of the two ways. Suitable switches orother means for changing the tractors from one track to the other orfrom one side of the canal to the other are provided, but not herein`described and claimed, it being understood that such transfers may bemade by usual mechanical means. l

In order that the tows may pass each other on the canal, the boat drawnby the lower tractor is stopped or slackened and the boat drawn by theupper tractor passes over the slack tow-line thereof. The tow of' boatstowed by animals will be no more interfered with by the traction-towsthan by the same number of tows by animal-power. The space on thetow-path occu pied by the traction-way above described will generally beless than two feet in width.

1. An electrical traction-way for canal towage, having two tracks sideby side at different elevations, each track supported by its own set ofposts.

2. An electrical traction-way for canal towage having one traction-railsupported by posts, a second traction-rail alongside the same atalowerlevel and supported by shorter posts, and braces connecting thetwo lines of posts.

3. In an electrical towage traction-way, the combination of a series ofsupportingpcsts, a traction-rail surmounting these posts, guiderailsbelow the top of the posts, at each side thereof and supported thereby,one of said guide-rails being also an electrical conductor, and a motoradapted to ride on the tractionrail and having a guide-wheel to ride onthe guide and conductor rail.

4. The combination with the tow-path of a canal, of a towing-way at theside thereof, said wayhaving two traction-railseach adapted to supporttractors, the rail next the water being at a lower level than the outerrail.

5. The combination of an outer series of posts having a traction-rail attheir tops, an inner series of posts of less height having atraction-rail at their tops, and guide-rails connected to each set ofposts, below and parallel with the traction-rails.

6. The combination with the tow-path of a canal, ofa traction-.wayhaving an elevated traction-rail at the outer side of the tow-path, alower traction-rail nearer the canal, and tractors constructed to run ineither direction on either way, and having towing attachments toward`the canal in all positions.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

STEPHEN W. VOOD.

'Witnesses:

JEssIE S. LYNCH, RALPH S. ROUNDS.

